


Budding Attraction

by pocketsquid



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games), The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, First Dates, Fluff, Humanformers, M/M, Meet-Cute, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, sir that's my emotional support crackship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:20:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27024952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocketsquid/pseuds/pocketsquid
Summary: Terra has been really enjoying his new job at the local flower shop. It's fun and fulfilling, and he loves that he gets to spend time around plants every single day. The only thing that could possibly make it better would be a handsome yoga instructor stopping by to put together an arrangement, charming Terra with little more than a grin and a cheesy compliment.Drift, on the other hand, hadn't realized that his favorite flower shop had hired a new employee, and was rather proud of himself for making the guy blush so easily. He can't get Terra out of his head, tacky green apron or otherwise, and knows he has to think of a reason to go back and see him again.
Relationships: Aqua & Terra & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Drift | Deadlock & Rodimus | Rodimus Prime, Drift | Deadlock/Terra (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Budding Attraction

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to: the fic nobody asked for but was written anyway. I just think Terra would have a natural green thumb, since his whole theme is... earth. I feel that Drift is appreciative of nature and can keep most plants alive, but definitely does better with the low maintenance ones since he's so busy. When they move in together their apartment will look like a Pinterest board, I guarantee it. 
> 
> Thank you so much to my wonderful friend [benvoliotheorphan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/benvoliotheorphan/profile) for encouraging me to write, as always, and helping me come up with tons of cute ideas! Love ya, bud!
> 
> Anyway, I wrote this forever ago and it makes me very happy, so I'm sharing it with the internet in hopes that it will make someone else smile. Hope you enjoy my silly little story!

"Alright," Terra said, glancing over at the remainder of the shipment that came in that morning. "Just a couple more boxes left."

"Yeah. I think we finished up with the flowers at least," his boss replied, readjusting her glasses to read the invoice better.

Terra nodded, carefully cutting open the next box. Eleanor was correct, as this package was full of vases rather than flowers. Together, they picked through the packaging to inspect each one for damage, being just as careful with the hand-blown glass as they had been with the fragile blooms.

Fortunately, none of them were broken this time, and they both let out a sigh of relief. They didn't have too long to revel in their luck though, the sound of the bell above the shop door announcing the arrival of a customer.

"I'll be with you in a moment," Terra called, standing off of the floor with a grunt.

They both heard a soft "alright," in response, and Eleanor smiled warmly at him.

"Terra, would you be a dear and take these vases up front with you? I'll go ahead and get to work on the next box," she said, using her cane to drag it closer to where she was sitting.

"Of course," Terra said, not minding one bit - that was why she hired him on, after all. "And I'll move that box for you too once I'm done at the front."

"Thank you," she said, turning back to the task at hand.

Terra nodded, lifting the box full of vases and heading out of the storage room. He took great care to not trip or bump into anything as he walked out into the shop, paying the customer no mind until the box was resting safely on the counter.

Once he checked that everything inside was still intact, he glanced up to see the customer watching him closely.

Neither one of them spoke at first. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and Terra found himself under the close scrutiny of the man, whose eyes practically sparkled as they traced down Terra's front. Much to Terra's surprise, the guy raised his brows, making it clear that he appreciated what he saw.

Terra knew he should probably say something, anything, but his breath was caught awkwardly in his throat. Not only was he was being blatantly checked out, but the guy who was checking him out was freaking _gorgeous_.

He was at least a head shorter than Terra, with long white hair that was pulled back in a messy bun. His eyes were a brilliant shade of blue, all but pinning Terra in place where he stood. The flowy tank top and yoga pants he wore framed his lean features perfectly, and if the muscles in his legs were any indication, the workout attire wasn't just being worn for comfort or convenience.

Though... Terra wasn't sure why his eyes had wandered down the guy's legs. They were very nice to look at, but this was hardly an appropriate way to treat a customer, so he tore his gaze away to look at his handsome face instead.

Terra cleared his throat quietly, trying to ignore the way his heart stuttered in his chest when their eyes met again. "How can I help you?" he managed to ask, his voice coming out more wobbly than he would have liked.

The man blinked a few times and then shook his head, a light flush rising to his cheeks. "Sorry. I, umm..." He scratched the back of his neck, giving Terra a nervous smile. "I was expecting Miss Ellie!"

Ah, yes. That made sense.

It wasn't the first time someone had asked of his boss' whereabouts, the older woman leaving quite the impression on the local community. It was, however, the first time the sight of him had made someone so flustered.

This guy's reaction was a far cry from the usual confused frown, but it was... kind of cute. Really cute, actually.

But, cute or not, Terra was at work, and had to at least attempt to do his job.

"No worries," Terra reassured him. "She got her knee replaced a couple months back, so she hired me to help with the heavy lifting and keeping up with the shop," Terra explained with a small smile of his own.

"Oh, I see - thank goodness!" He laid a hand over his chest and let out a relieved breath, as though he'd been expecting to hear the worst.

He then turned his attention back to Terra, his smile morphing into a smirk as he gave Terra another quick once-over. "Well, I'd say you're the perfect guy for heavy lifting, aren't you?" he teased lightly, seeming to be fully recovered from his earlier shyness.

Terra tried his best to fight down the heat that rushed to his cheeks, but if the guy's widening grin was anything to go by, he failed miserably.

With a soft chuckle, the man approached Terra, eyes darting down to read his nametag. "Anyway... Perhaps you can help me, Terra," he said. That already smooth voice dipped into a purr when he said Terra's name, though the flirtatious tone was gone entirely when he spoke again, making Terra wonder if he'd just imagined it. "I'm picking some flowers up for a friend of mine. He's staying in the hospital for a few nights and I'd like to brighten his visit a little."

Terra nodded, happy to move to a subject he was more familiar with. So far he'd only managed to turn into an awkward, blushing mess when it came to flirting, but arranging flowers? He knew he could handle that.

"Of course, I'll try my best to help. Do you have any ideas of what you'd like to get?"

The customer tapped his chin. "Not exactly. I mean, I've gotten him flowers before, but I want these to be special, you know?" he sighed softly, shaking his head. "I just don't know all that much about them."

It was clear to Terra that, despite the guy not knowing a lot about flowers, he at least knew the importance of a hand-selected arrangement. And, if Terra was honest, that kind of genuine thoughtfulness was really hard to come by - Terra hoped his friend knew how lucky he was.

"Well, why don't you tell me a little about him, if you don't mind?" Terra suggested. "What's he like? Does he have a favorite color?"

The man nodded. "He's very... charming, and super outgoing, and has a really big heart. He's got this sort of warm, infectious energy - like, he's just a lot of fun to be around," he explained, his smile melting into something smaller, softer. "And... he likes most colors, I think, but orange is probably his favorite."

Terra blinked a few times as he mulled over the information, his eyes darting around the shop for something that might fit. He wasn't nearly as good at putting together arrangements as Eleanor was, no matter how much she insisted otherwise, but he felt like he had a pretty good grip on what colors went together, at least.

In this case, he wanted to find a focal flower that was fun and colorful, but also something a little different from the norm. This bouquet was supposed to be special, after all.

His gaze landed on the fresh sunflowers they'd gotten in that morning, and he gestured toward them with a smile. "How about some sunflowers to start with? They're bright and cheerful," Terra offered. "They aren't as common to find in mixed arrangements as other flowers, but it sounds like your friend is a unique guy, so..."

The customer nodded eagerly, heading over toward them with wide eyes. "Oh, they're lovely! I think they would be perfect." He beamed at the flowers for a moment before turning that smile toward Terra, and Terra's heart all but melted in his chest at the adorable sight.

"Great!" Terra's smile widened in response, and he walked over to pluck a few out of the display vase, sliding them into a floral bag so they wouldn't drip water all over the floor. "Did you want to add other flowers to the arrangement, or just have a vase of sunflowers?"

The man tapped his chin as he thought it over. "I'd like to do a mixed arrangement, I think," he decided.

"Alright," Terra said with a light laugh, heading over to some of their smaller lilies next. "I think some of these alstroemeria would look particularly striking as well, without detracting from the sunflowers," he suggested. "They also symbolize devotion among friends, if that means anything to you...?"

He noticeably perked up at that. "Rodimus would probably laugh, but yes, that _does_ mean something to me," he said with a grin. "I think these reddish-orange ones would be perfect!"

He also selected some yellow and orange roses, some yellow irises, various sprigs of greenery, and a few small filler flowers. Once he seemed to be satisfied with his selection, Terra took his time to carefully trim the stems and arrange the blooms in a pleasant way. He wasn't sure if it was because he was trying to impress this guy or what, but after it was all said and done, it really was quite a lovely arrangement - easily one of the best that he'd put together.

"Thank you for all of your help, Terra. They're beautiful," the man said once the flowers had been paid for. His gaze was warm as he looked up at Terra, lips curling into a soft, grateful smile.

"No problem. You're welcome to stop by anytime," Terra said. He meant it, too, his heart fluttering at the thought of getting to talk to him again sometime. "I hope your friend likes them."

"Oh, I'm sure he will. He loves to paint, and flowers are his favorite still life subject." He scooped the colorful arrangement off of the counter, cradling it carefully in the crook of his arm as he headed toward the door. "Tell Miss Ellie hello for me, okay?"

"Sure thing. Have a good day!" Terra stepped forward to hold the door open, and he was rewarded with a light laugh and a "thank you," before the man headed down the sidewalk.

Terra sighed, the smile stretched across his face even after he was back inside the shop. As he swept up the leaves and stems he'd dropped behind the counter, he took a moment to think over what had just happened.

Terra had been flirted with before, but it was pretty rare for him to actually feel flattered by that sort of attention in the way that he had been today. For starters, the man was, well... a _man_. As sweet as the ladies who passed through seemed to be, there was no nice way for Terra to explain why he wasn't really interested when they flirted with him. The guy was also very friendly, keeping the charm to a minimum so Terra could actually do his job, and had a really cute smile, and nice legs, and...

Well. He was just Terra's type, to put it simply. 

A light flush rose to his cheeks again as he recalled those bright, twinkling eyes and the genuine excitement as they perused the shop together. Terra wondered if the man was thinking about the encounter just as fondly, and if he would ever come back. Terra hoped he would. He really wanted to see that adorable smile again.

It was then that Terra realized he hadn't gotten the man's name.

His heart sank a bit at the thought - he'd been so caught off guard that he completely forgot to ask. Logically, he wondered if it would have been appropriate to do such a thing, but he still felt foolish for not even thinking of it until now.

"So, I see you met Drift," Eleanor drawled from his side, as though she knew what he had been thinking about.

Terra jumped and nearly dropped the broom in surprise, his eyes darting over to meet hers. How long had she been standing there?

"His... his name is Drift?" he found himself asking. A light flush rose to his cheeks at the amount of surprise and wonder in his voice, as though this was the best news he'd ever heard in his life.

His boss shot him a knowing grin. "Yeah. He teaches classes at the yoga studio a few blocks over. His friend seems to get hurt a lot, so I've helped him pick out flowers a few times," she explained. "He's a nice young man, isn't he?"

"He sure is," Terra agreed, looking away from her to focus on sweeping the mess into the dustpan. "It was a nice change, as far as customers go. I'm... glad he stopped by today."

Even if Drift didn't visit the shop again, Terra was hopeful that they'd run into each other sometime, especially if their workplaces were in such close proximity. Only time would tell, he supposed.

He felt a comforting pat to his arm, and he glanced over to see Eleanor smiling up at him. "Don't you worry, dear. I'm sure he'll be back to visit us before we know it," she said. "I think he likes you."

Terra blushed, but didn't say anything further. He didn't have the chance to do so anyway, as the little bell above the door jingled again, alerting them both to the next customer.

-

Drift felt like he was floating on a cloud the entire way to Rodimus' hospital room, the wide smile on his face and the soft flutter of his heart all but impossible to fight back. He'd nearly gotten in a wreck as he pulled his car into the parking garage, and then he had to walk pretty far after he somehow managed to park by the wrong building, but he couldn't even find it in himself to be mad about these minor incidents.

All he could think about was Terra - tall, kind, and handsome. Ridiculously handsome, if Drift was honest with himself. There was no way that tacky green floral apron should look good on anyone, and yet, it looked amazing on Terra. He and his broad shoulders, and the absurdly tight-fitting shirt he wore underneath that apron, and his -

"Hey, watch where you're going!" A voice snarled as Drift rounded a corner, tugging him out of his musings.

He apologized profusely to the poor person he'd almost crashed into, deciding to try and focus on making it to where Rodimus was before mentally replaying the morning's events again.

It didn't take him much longer to find his friend's room, and luckily, the light was on inside, letting him know that Rodimus was probably awake. He knocked on the door quietly, pushing it open when he heard the soft "come in".

Rodimus' eyes grew almost comically wide at the sight of the flowers in Drift's arms. He looked a lot better than he had the day before, and Drift hoped that meant he'd gotten some time to rest.

"Are those for me?" Rodimus asked incredulously.

Drift nodded, setting the arrangement down on the little table next to the window. "They sure are," he said, leaning in to give his friend a hug. "I thought you could use a little color in here."

Rodimus wrapped an arm around Drift to hug him back. "Thanks, man. They really are beautiful." He gazed at them for a long moment once he could, a small smile gracing his features. "I think this is my favorite bouquet that I've ever gotten from you," he said as he turned toward Drift again, regarding him with a thoughtful look. "And that big, goofy grin? Is that for me too?"

Drift blushed, not even realizing that he was still smiling so widely. "Why, of course! I'm happy that you're awake, how is your --"

Rodimus cut him off without saying a word, sending Drift a look that made it clear he wasn't buying it. "My leg feels a lot better today, thank you for asking. Now, come on! Tell me what happened!"

Drift shook his head, his mouth opening and closing a few times. "I... I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Come on, dude. Usually when I end up in the hospital from a silly accident, you can't stop frowning and glaring," Rodimus said. "Because I 'narrowly avoided death' and all that. So I know _something_ is up!"

With a sigh, Drift found himself caving to his friend's insistence, honestly a bit surprised at how logical Rodimus' response was. "Alright, alright. There was... a cute guy at the flower shop," he grumbled.

"Ah-ha! I knew it!" Rodimus grinned widely, clearly proud of himself. "Lemme guess... Big and tall? Built like an underwear model?"

Drift didn't even need to answer, the heat rising to his cheeks saying more than enough, but he nodded anyway.

"Awww, Drift," Rodimus crooned, reaching forward to pat Drift's arm. "You always did like 'em burly."

"Yeah, well... yeah," Drift replied intelligently, his stomach twisting in equal parts embarrassment and delight. He sighed, dragging a chair over so he could sit down next to Rodimus' bed.

"He was really nice too. Knew a lot more about flowers than I was expecting," Drift continued, pointing toward the flowers. "Those little lilies? Apparently they symbolize a really strong friendship. I think the roses do too, though... I don't really remember."

"That's... very sweet. Both for him to bring that up, and for you to buy them for me." Rodimus looked at the flowers for a long moment, the smile on his face growing softer before he turned back toward Drift. "He sounds perfect - perfect for you, anyway."

Drift blushed brightly again, shooting his friend a skeptical look. "I dunno about that. I think being nice is just part of his job, Rodimus. To sell flowers to people?"

"Maybe," Rodimus said with a shrug. "Did he seem interested?"

"I... don't know," Drift admitted. He thought back to his interaction with Terra, recalling how brightly he blushed when Drift complimented him, and how eager he was to help Drift pick the perfect flowers. "Maybe? He didn't seem... uncomfortable at least."

Rodimus hummed thoughtfully. "Well, the only way you'll know for sure is if you see him again," he said. "You... are going to see him again, right?"

"I, well, umm," Drift laughed nervously. His thoughts wandered back to how wide Terra's smile was when he said Drift was welcome to stop by at any time. His heart thudded at the thought of going back, a mixture of nervousness and excitement washing over him. "I guess I could go back."

Rodimus rolled his eyes. "You _guess?_ You're totally going back, if it means I have to break my other leg to make you --"

"Please don't," Drift groaned, covering his face with his hand. He knew his friend was only teasing, but Rodimus' little accidents were followed by far too much stress to even be joked about. "I promise I'll go back multiple times if it means you won't do something that stupid ever again!"

"Great! That's what I like to hear," Rodimus said in between chuckles. "Now then... tell me about him - I wanna hear all the juicy little details!"

Drift sighed again, though this time it was more of a dreamy one than one of frustration. Rodimus perked up eagerly, eyes locked on Drift as he began his story. "Well, it all started when he came out of the room in the back, carrying this huge box..."

* * *

As much as Drift wanted to return immediately to the flower shop so he could talk to Terra again, he knew it would probably come across as a little desperate, so he promised himself that he'd wait at least until the following week to go back.

In some ways, this wasn't much of a challenge. Between helping Rodimus get back on his feet when he could and running his own personal errands, Drift's free time was quickly eaten up. The wait was certainly a challenge in other ways, though - he longed to see Terra's bright smile, to hear that kind, gentle voice, or to grin up at him until that gorgeous blush rose to his cheeks again...

He couldn't get the guy out of his head, but his imagination could only do so much.

It didn't take him long to scarf down his food once his lunch hour rolled around, though he took a few extra minutes to brush his hair and attempt to look presentable. Drift blatantly ignored the nosy stares from his coworkers as he headed out of the yoga studio, not wanting to feed any gossip or waste any more time. He had more important matters to attend to.

Though, once he was out on the sidewalk, a flash of nervousness washed over him at what might happen once he got to the flower shop. Would Terra be happy to see him, or would he be dreading Drift's return? Were those soft smiles as genuine as they looked, or had Drift misread something that was intended to be friendly toward a customer? 

Would Terra even be working today?

Drift didn't have any more time to worry about it, though, as he'd reached the little store in record time. He supposed he could just turn around and head back to work if he was really this unsure about it, but he'd already walked all the way here. Might as well follow through with it, right?

He let himself in, his stomach flip-flopping when he saw Terra standing just inside the shop. He was talking to a customer, but his sentence came to a screeching halt when his eyes met Drift's from across the store.

The customer cleared their throat loudly, an impatient hand on their hip. Terra flushed brightly and turned back toward them with an apologetic smile, and Drift hoped that was a positive reaction.

"Well, would you look at that," a familiar voice said, startling Drift a bit and drawing his attention away from Terra. He turned to see Miss Ellie leaning on a cane, grinning over at him. "It's been a minute since I've seen you, Drift!"

Drift gave her a smile of his own, heading over to where she was standing. "It sure has!" he agreed with a nod. "I think I just missed you last time I was in here."

"Yeah, Terra told me you stopped by. I would've come to say hello first but he's a lot quicker than me now," she said, tapping her cane on the floor a few times.

Drift winced. "Ah, yeah. How's your knee healing up?" he asked, gesturing toward her leg.

Miss Ellie looked at him over the top of her glasses. "It's not so bad, I guess. I'm getting sick of wobbling around everywhere, but I don't have much of a choice. Gotta stay on the move." She sighed, shaking her head before continuing. "Anyway, what brings you in today? Did your buddy end up in the hospital again?"

Drift nodded. "Yes ma'am, he sure did. Last week he... kind of fell off a ladder and broke his leg," he explained. "But he's home now and seems to be doing a lot better."

"Ah, I see. So he's already on the way to a speedy recovery, that's good," she said. "Well, what do you need? Is there anything I can help you with?"

A light flush rose to Drift's cheeks, his eyes involuntarily wandering toward Terra, who was now leading the other customer to the cash register. "I, well, umm..." he stammered, meeting her eyes again, "no thank you, I'm just... looking."

"Ahhh, that's alright. I had a feeling," Miss Ellie said with a wide grin that only made Drift's blush intensify. "Well, feel free to look around till he's done. I'm gonna go sit down - it's just about my lunch time anyway."

"Yes ma'am," Drift said. She patted him on the shoulder on her way toward the counter, then ducked behind Terra to head to the back of the store.

With a shaky sigh, Drift tried his best to admire the flowers he was surrounded by, his eyes flitting over the various blooms that lined the walls. It was kind of hard to actually focus without being overly conscious of Terra's presence behind him, though.

It only took a few more minutes for the other customer to finish up, and then it was just Drift and Terra in the shop. His heart raced in his chest when he heard the quiet footsteps as the other man approached him.

"Hey," Terra said softly. "How's your friend doing? Rodimus is his name, right?"

A fresh wave of nervousness washed over Drift when he turned to look up at Terra, but he quickly found himself enraptured by the gentle blue-grey hue of the other man's eyes. Terra looked about as anxious as Drift felt - shoulders drawn tight, fingers drumming lightly on his hips, sporting a small, shaky smile...

It was kind of cute, and honestly a little reassuring.

"Yeah! He's doing much better now," Drift said with a smile of his own. "He really liked the flowers we picked out for him. Thank you again for all your help."

Terra flushed a bit at the praise, and some of the tension left his body. "Of course! It's my job to help," he said. "Is there anything I can do for you today? Ummm, to help?"

 _Just stand right there and keep being adorable,_ Drift thought fondly. He would have said it out loud, but he was too busy frantically trying to find an actual answer to Terra's question.

There wasn't any real reason Drift had come in the shop, aside from coming to visit with Terra, but he couldn't just say that!

"Well... yes! You can help me," Drift said. He swallowed hard, his eyes darting around the shop as he desperately tried to think of a response, not wanting to reveal the true nature of his half-baked plan. His gaze landed on a display of orchids in the corner of the shop, a small smile rising to his lips at the sight. They reminded him of something that had happened a few months ago that still stung - and gave him the perfect excuse to be here!

"You see," he continued, heading over toward the delicate flowers. Terra was hot on his heels, hanging on to every word with what appeared to be genuine interest. "I used to have this big, beautiful orchid. It was a gift from a friend, and I kept it alive for many years..."

"Uh-oh," Terra said once they stopped in front of the display. "I don't like where this story is going."

Drift let out a short laugh. "Yeah, unfortunately the ending isn't a happy one. Someone managed to kill it, in a matter of weeks! It got all weird and droopy, and by the time I realized what the problem was, it was... too late," he said sourly. "I know she was just trying to help, but..."

A large, comforting hand landed on Drift's shoulder, bringing him out of the unpleasant memory in an instant. He somehow managed not to jump at the contact, though his eyes shot up to meet Terra's in surprise.

Terra was smiling sadly and shaking his head. "I'm sorry that happened, but I'm proud of you for keeping it alive for so long. They can be easy to kill if you don't know what you're doing," he said.

His hand still hadn't moved, the warmth from his palm seeping through Drift's shirt as it engulfed his shoulder. Drift blushed a bit at the realization and tried very hard to stand still, wondering if Terra would keep his hand there forever if he didn't draw any attention to it.

"Yeah, I... don't know how I managed it," Drift admitted. "I forgot to water it most of the time, which seemed to work in its favor."

Terra released Drift's shoulder then, much to his dismay, but made up for it by smiling brightly down at him. "Once a week or so is usually plenty. They don't like sitting in water like some other plants do, which probably confused your... friend?"

"Co-worker," Drift corrected. "I'm never bringing a plant anywhere within her reach again."

"Ah, I see," Terra said with a nod. "Well, we have a few orchids here if you'd like to try your hand at it again. Or... we have some other plants that would do fine in an indoor setting."

"That little empty pot makes me sad, so I definitely want to buy something," Drift said, looking over the little plants with interest. "Maybe not an orchid, though."

There were a couple of different succulents, a few different ivy that had grown out of their pot and up the display shelf, and a handful of other plants covered in bright blooms. Drift had no idea what any of them were, but he couldn't deny that they were all quite appealing to look at. One plant near the bottom stood out among the others, though. It was barely a foot tall, and didn't appear to have any flowers. It was still beautiful though, as the bright red and orange splotches that covered the leaves easily made up for the lack of blooms.

"What the heck is that?" Drift asked, pointing toward it.

Terra chuckled, bending over and picking the plant up. "This is a croton," he said, turning it so Drift could get a better look at it. "It's probably one of the easiest plants that we sell, aside from the pothos."

"Huh. I've never seen anything like it!" Drift said, curiously touching one of the waxy leaves. "How do you take care of it?"

"They're not too fussy. Lots of light and a dry spell between thorough watering should keep it looking pretty," he explained. "Though... sometimes when people buy them, all of the leaves fall off. They're kind of dramatic and don't like to be moved, and it takes a couple of weeks to find the perfect place for them."

Drift frowned at the sound of that. "How do you know if it's still alive?"

Terra shrugged. "It's kind of just blind faith," he admitted. "But, once they grow back, they're pretty hardy. Here," he said, handing Drift the little card that had been embedded in the soil, "this is a little more specific with watering and lighting and planting in the ground if you want, but they don't mind staying potted."

Drift took a moment to look over the card, brows raising as he took in the information. It seemed as straightforward as Terra had described, but he was a bit unsure if it was truly as easy as it sounded. 

"I appreciate this," he said with a nod. "Here's to hoping I won't kill it, right?"

"You won't," he said, handing Drift the plant with a bright grin. "It's _really_ gonna fill out under your care, I can just tell."

"Oh, well..." Drift's heart fluttered at that smile, and he looked away from Terra as he took the plant. "Thank you."

Terra grinned wider, stepping back so he could head toward the cash register. "You'll do fine. You did just fine with the orchid, after all," he said. "Just forget about it until it looks a little droopy, and then water it. If the leaves start lose their color, let it have a little more sunlight. It will tell you what it needs."

It was kind of adorable, really, listening to Terra talk about the plants so fondly. He made it sound like they each had their own personality, though if Drift thought about it, that was kind of true. Some plants were easy to care for, needing little more than the occasional watering, while others were prone to wilting when you looked at them.

Drift smiled as he gazed down at the little plant, still quite charmed with its lively colors. "Alright, that sounds... easy enough. But if it dies, I'm blaming you," he teased.

"It won't die!" Terra reassured him with a laugh. "If I kept it alive for this long, anyone can."

"We'll see," Drift said, not having nearly as much faith in himself as Terra seemed to. For all he knew, Terra had a green thumb and could bring a broken twig back to life. Luckily, this was such a small investment that it didn't bother Drift too much no matter how it ended - if anything, he could say he tried, right?

"Well, at least I have you to come to if there are any problems," Drift continued, his gaze warm as he watched Terra ring up the price for the little plant.

"Why... yes, of course," Terra agreed, his smile softening when his eyes met Drift's. "I do hope you keep me updated on the little guy."

Once the transaction was complete, Terra wished him good luck and Drift made his way out of the store. He dared a glance back toward the counter before he went through the door, heat rising to his cheeks when he saw how fondly Terra was looking at him.

Terra's grin widened when their eyes met, and Drift smiled back, fighting down his blush as best as he could before heading back to work, not wanting to stick around and make a fool of himself. 

* * *

Terra scanned the little coffee shop for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. The place was still pretty packed, but nobody really stood out to him - meaning, of course, there weren't any silky white ponytails in sight.

It wasn't like it was a habit of Terra's to look for Drift when he went out. They had yet to run into each other out in public, and he had accepted that maybe their lives didn't overlap as much as he'd originally thought.

Today felt different for some reason, though the fact that Drift's workplace was just down the street might have had something to do with it. It was probably silly to hope for such a coincidental meeting, but Terra found himself keeping a close eye on who was coming and going, just in case.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Aqua asked, tugging Terra's mind back the present yet again.

"I'm fine," he assured her, taking a sip of his coffee. He was a little annoyed with himself for being so distracted. It'd been at least a month since he and his friends had all been free at the same time, and he would have loved to actually be able to pay attention to them.

"You sure? You kinda look like a man on the run or something," Ventus chimed in with a small smile.

Terra rolled his eyes, though he knew Ven was right - he was definitely acting more anxious than usual. "Yeah. Just... thinkin' about something."

His friends exchanged a look, but thankfully didn't press the topic any further. "Alright," Ven said with a shrug. "Is anyone gonna eat the last two donuts?"

Aqua shook her head, so Terra nudged the plate toward Ven. "Nah, go for it."

It didn't take long for the conversation to start back up, the three of them recounting their feelings on the latest episode of the tv show they'd been watching together. Terra was pretty proud of the fact that he was actually able to keep up with the discussion now, and his friends seemed happy that he was participating as well.

Things were going well, and he'd all but forgotten about his earlier unease - until Drift stumbled through the door of the coffee shop, that is.

Terra watched him make his way toward the counter, blinking sleepily up at the menu as he waited in line. He was dressed in his usual workout gear, damp hair tied back and a gym bag slung over one shoulder. Terra could only assume that he'd just finished working out, or maybe he was heading to work --

An amused snort sounded from across the table, reminding Terra that his friends were still there. When he glanced back toward them, Aqua's lips were curled into a grin while Ventus looked like he was trying very hard to hold back giggles.

"What?" Terra asked, his voice a bit too defensive as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What's so funny?"

Aqua coughed into her hand. "Oh, it's nothing. You just kind of stopped talking mid-sentence to stare at something," she said.

"Yeah. Wonder what it could be...?" Ven mused, slowly turning his head toward the front of the coffee shop.

"Nothing!" Terra bit out, doing his best to fight down the flush that rose to his cheeks. "It's... nothing."

Ventus looked anyway. "I dunno," he said, turning back toward Terra with a smirk. "That guy over there is staring right at us."

Terra looked back toward where Drift was standing with wide eyes. He seemed much more alert now, and was definitely staring over at their table. He grinned when their eyes met, waving excitedly at Terra. 

With a quiet laugh, Terra waved back at him, not all that surprised to find that Drift was adorable even from this far away. Unfortunately, they didn't get to share eye contact for too long because Drift was next in line. He watched Drift sigh happily before moving toward the counter to place his order.

When Terra turned back toward Aqua and Ventus, they were both clearly stifling laughter. The dopey grin that had made it's way to Terra's face fell in an instant, and he wished he could crawl under the table and hide for a few hours.

"He's cute," Aqua remarked, an almost mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Is that the guy from work you were telling us about?"

Terra huffed out a sigh. "Maybe," he admitted, shrugging a shoulder. His attempt at being casual was likely ruined by the way his face heated up even more.

Aqua and Ventus looked at each other for a moment. Ventus whispered something in Aqua's ear, and Aqua nodded, a wide grin growing on each of their faces. Terra swallowed nervously when they turned toward him, those sneaky smiles meaning there would be trouble in his near future.

The barista barked out Drift's name, drawing Terra's attention back to the front. He watched as Drift picked up a single beverage and a small pastry bag before grabbing a few napkins. He then looked up at Terra, standing still for a long moment, clearly thinking something over before he started to move.

His destination seemed to be right where Terra and his friends were sitting, much to Terra's surprise. It didn't take him long to reach the table, and when he did, his smile brightened considerably, sending Terra's heart racing in his chest.

"Hey there," Drift said quietly, setting his coffee cup on the edge of the table.

"Hey yourself," Terra said, swallowing around the sudden dryness in his throat. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Drift nodded, tucking a loose chunk of hair behind his ear. "I usually just make coffee at home, but I've been really craving these pumpkin muffins," he admitted, holding up the little bag in his hand. "Anyway, I didn't mean to interrupt you guys or anything, I just wanted to come say hi --"

"Nonsense!" Ventus cut in, gesturing toward the empty seat next to Terra. "C'mon, there's plenty of room for you!"

Drift winced, reaching for his coffee cup again. "Oh, I shouldn't... I'd hate to intrude!"

"You're hardly intruding," Aqua reassured him with a sweet smile. "Please, have a seat!"

He looked helplessly toward Terra, who nodded and smiled. He had a bad feeling about this, but he still pulled the chair out in a silent offering. "You're more than welcome to join - if you want to, of course."

"Well... alright. Thanks," Drift relented with a nod of his own. "I have work in about an hour, so I can't stay for too long."

As Drift slid the bag off of his shoulder, his wallet somehow managed to fly out of the side pocket, skidding onto the floor. "Of course," he mumbled, setting his bag on the ground before bending over to retrieve his wallet. "This is what I get for being out while I'm half asleep..."

Without a second thought, Terra's gaze moved straight to Drift's shapely rear end. It admittedly took him a few seconds to realize what he was doing, but once he did, he all but tore his eyes away to look around the table instead, hoping that nobody had seen him.

Luckily, Drift didn't seem to notice, tucking into the chair at Terra's side without saying a word, but the knowing smiles from Aqua and Ventus made it clear that his actions didn't go entirely unseen.

Well, this was off to a great start. 

Before he could embarrass himself further, Terra decided he should introduce his friends. Drift greeted them politely and introduced himself in kind, shaking their hands before starting on his coffee.

"Well, we're happy to finally meet you, Drift," Aqua said. "Terra told us all about you!"

Terra fought down the blush that rose to his cheeks when Drift looked up at him, clearly surprised by this information. "Really?" he asked, regarding Terra curiously before taking another sip of his drink.

"Yep!" Ventus chirped, drawing Drift's attention once more. "He told us all about how you were the nicest customer he's had in a while. Not to mention the cutest --"

Drift flushed brightly and choked on his mouthful of coffee, yanking the cup away from his mouth to cough into his free hand. Terra thumped his back a few times in an attempt to help clear his airway, and it seemed to help somewhat. Once the coughing subsided, his hand moved to rub a soothing circle against Drift's back. The gentle touch seemed to make Drift blush even more, but Terra kept at it until he was breathing at least somewhat normally again.

"Sorry," Ventus said with a wince, but Drift merely waved a dismissive hand at him, clearing his throat a few more times.

"Are you okay?" Terra asked, pulling his hand away.

Drift nodded quckly. "I'm fine!" he squeaked, taking a steadying breath before trying again. "I'm okay. Thank you."

An awkward quiet settled over the table as Drift recovered. Aqua opened her mouth to speak, and Terra could only hope that whatever she wanted to say wouldn't make things worse.

"So, umm, where do you work, Drift?" she asked, much to Terra's relief.

Drift swallowed, clearing his throat once again before responding. "I'm a yoga instructor at the studio just down the street. I don't normally have classes this early, but my co-worker's kid got sick and I had to fill in," he explained quietly, taking another sip of his coffee.

"Oh! I've wanted to check that place out since we moved here," Aqua said. "I used to do yoga a lot, but I kind of got overwhelmed with work."

"Well, you're more than welcome to stop by if you want," Drift reassured her. "We have classes for people of any skill level!"

Aqua opened her mouth to respond, but Ventus cut her off. "Oh Terra, you should go sometime," he teased. "You like to exercise!"

A surprised laugh bubbled out of Terra at that. "I dunno, I'm not the most... flexible," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "Weightlifting is a little different from yoga."

He glanced toward Drift, hoping his response hadn't come across as offensive in some way. Instead, he found the other man's eyes trailing up his arm, just like the first time they met. Heat rose to Terra's cheeks under the attention, and he wasn't sure if he regretted wearing such a tight shirt today or not.

Aqua covered her mouth with her hand, likely stifling another giggle. Ventus merely shook his head, looking as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Drift hummed, raising a brow before grinning up at Terra. "It's not for everyone," he agreed, turning back toward the table and reaching for the muffin he'd bought.

The conversation flowed fairly easily after that, ranging from the cooler weather to what Drift was planning to do once he was done with work. Terra wasn't all too surprised to learn that Drift went for a run every evening, but he was still impressed.

At some point, Drift's watch chirped, and he let out a sigh. "Well, I should probably get going - my shift's starting pretty soon."

"Alright," Terra said with a light smile. "Thanks for sitting with us."

"Yeah, it was nice to finally meet you!" Aqua said with a nod.

"Thanks for letting me tag along! Sure beats eating in the break room," Drift said as he stood up. He lifted his bag off of the floor, throwing the strap over his shoulder effortlessly before offering them one final smile.

After a chorus of goodbyes, Drift left the shop, moving with an eager bounce in his step. Terra watched him go, not realizing how much he was smiling until he turned back toward his friends.

"Wow. You've got it bad, dude," Ventus said, grinning from ear to ear.

Terra rolled his eyes, his cheeks heating up at his friend's words. "Do not."

"No, Ven's right. You're crushing hard," Aqua teased with quiet laugh. "It's kind of cute!"

With a groan, Terra buried his burning face in his hands. "Please stop."

"Sorry," she said, though she sounded anything but sorry. "But I think he likes you too, Terra. You should ask him out!"

Terra's stomach twisted at her suggestion. He figured she was right - Drift seemed to be at least somewhat interested in him, but the thought of actually asking someone out in person was something Terra had never done before. He had no idea where to even start, or how to do it without coming across as weird or desperate.

"In the very least, you should try to get his number. That way you won't have to 'run into each other' to talk," Ventus pointed out.

That was certainly a logical thing to do. And it wouldn't be as upfront as asking Drift out on a date, right? Maybe they could just hang out, eventually easing into the... dating thing.

"Alright, alright. I'll... think about it," Terra decided.

Aqua and Ven both sighed with frustration, but thankfully let it drop - for now.

* * *

"Drift, I want you to repeat after me: everything's gonna go fine," Rodimus said on the other end of the line. Even if he couldn't see it, Drift could definitely hear the thumbs up and encouraging grin on his friend's face.

"Everything's... gonna... go fine," Drift parroted, though his version was admittedly a little lackluster.

"No, I want _you_ to believe it! You're not believing it," Rodimus said with a sigh.

Drift frowned. "I can't help it, bro... I just, I'm so nervous," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I feel like, I dunno, like I ate an entire beehive for lunch! And I'm so sweaty! _Help!_ "

"You're gonna be fine dude, I promise," Rodimus told him. "Like, okay. I want you to tell me... What's the worst thing that could happen? Think really hard before you answer."

He did his best, going over the various awful things that might happen when he revealed his romantic intentions to Terra. "He could reject me," Drift decided. "And be super uncomfortable because I made a pass at him, while he was at work of all places."

"Right!" Rodimus said. "That would be terrible! And you could say 'I told you so' to me all you wanted. But... That's hardly the end of the world, Drift."

Drift opened his mouth to disagree - well, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would sure feel like it! And it would be embarrassing as hell!

But, Rodimus continued, cutting him off. "Now, what's the best thing that could happen? What is the ideal outcome?"

This was much easier for Drift to answer, much to no one's surprise. "Well, he could be totally into me!" Drift said, a smile blossoming on his face. "He could step close to me, cup my cheeks with his big ol' hands, and look deep into my eyes --"

"Okay, wow. Slow down there, Romeo," Rodimus cut him off with a chuckle. "I want you to be optimistic, but I don't want you to set the bar too high."

Drift blushed, realizing just how over the top that was, but nodded his head in understanding. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea," he agreed. "I'll be lucky if I can even get him to agree to one date."

Rodimus groaned dramatically. "Well, there went all my hard work," he muttered. "But, anyway... you better get on with it, if you're gonna do it today."

Drift's heart leapt in his throat when he checked his watch. He still had plenty of time, but he'd been on the phone with Rodimus a little longer than he'd originally intended.

"Aw, shoot! I'll call you back afterward," Drift promised, standing up out of his chair and heading out of his cramped office.

"Alright bud," Rodimus said. "Hey, listen - you got this! It'll go great!"

Drift smiled, hearing the determination and encouragement his friend's voice, and actually believing his words for a brief moment. Maybe Drift did have this. Maybe it would go okay.

"Thanks. For everything," he said with a small smile. "Talk to you in a bit."

Despite the short distance, the walk to the flower shop seemed to drag on for eternity. Drift's own nervousness was probably to blame for the way time slowed down so dramatically - his mind was locked in an intense battle of whether Terra would reject him or not. But he did eventually arrive, his steps grinding to a halt when his feet landed on the shop's welcome mat, and he took a deep, steadying breath before even thinking about opening the door.

He was going to do it. Drift was going to ask Terra out today, nervousness be damned! He had a plan and everything!

Rodimus' words echoed in the back of his mind as he tugged the door open, and Drift did his best to believe in them.

_Everything's gonna go fine._

Drift peered around the shop, stepping in hesitantly. Miss Ellie was walking around the store with an elderly couple, scribbling something down on a clipboard. Terra was leaned over the counter, staring intently at something, but he stood to his full height and looked right at Drift at the sound of the bell, a small smile already forming on his lips.

Once their eyes met, it was nearly impossible for Drift to keep moving into the shop. He was so tempted to turn around and dart outside again, to head back to work with his tail between his legs, but he forced himself to walk over to the counter.

Oddly enough, the steps got easier as he approached Terra. That small smile and the cozy atmosphere of the shop was doing wonders to ease his nerves, for which he was thankful.

"Good to see you again, Drift. You look like you're on a mission," Terra remarked with a grin.

Drift took a calming breath, not realizing how tense he must have looked to those around him. He smiled up at Terra in response, and he was surprised with how steady it felt on his face.

"I am on a mission! I'm looking for something very particular, and I need someone with a good eye to help me out," he said, gesturing to Terra. "And you're the perfect guy for the job."

Terra flushed a bit at the comment, his fingers drumming against the countertop a few times. "Oh, well, I'll do my best!" he said, walking over to stand by Drift's side. "How can I help?"

Drift started toward the fridge where the more expensive flowers were kept, and Terra followed him eagerly. "I need a rose," he explained. "One red rose, please."

One of Terra's eyebrows quirked up at the request, his smile falling a bit. "Oh," he said in a soft voice, clearing his throat before speaking again. "Well, we have plenty to choose from!"

Terra seemed a bit nervous, and Drift could only hope that he wasn't dreading what Drift was attempting. So, he beamed up at Terra and nodded, doing his best to keep a brave face and follow through with the plan.

"Perfect!" he chirped, watching Terra slide open the glass door. "It's for someone really special, so I want the prettiest one you have, okay?"

With a jerky nod, Terra picked through the large selection of red roses. In truth, they were all quite lovely, but Drift meant what he said - anything less than the best simply would not do.

Terra took his time, eventually selecting a few and holding them out for Drift to see. "Do any of these work for you?"

Drift hummed, tapping his chin as he looked at the flowers. He reached for the one in the middle, the delicate petals slightly more open than the other two, and carefully plucked it out of Terra's hand.

"This one's perfect," he said, swallowing back the nervousness that crept into his throat at the reminder of what he was about to do. "Thank you."

Terra nodded again, returning the other roses to the fridge. "No problem," he said as he shut the door again. He then turned back toward Drift, lips twisted in a thoughtful expression. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Drift shook his head, his heart threatening to explode out of his chest. "No thanks, just this for today," he replied, his voice shaking almost as badly as his hands were.

The walk back to the counter was quiet, as was the transaction. Drift was so focused on not screwing up the next part that he nearly dropped the flower on the floor. He took a deep breath and looked into Terra's eyes.

Terra smiled at him, but it almost looked... sad. "Thanks for stopping by again. I hope they like it," he said quietly.

Drift's heart sank a bit at the words. It seemed that Terra hadn't really realized what he was doing, which was... good? It would certainly add to the surprise of the next part, but he figured his intentions toward Terra had been clear up to this point.

"Actually," he said softly, holding the flower out for Terra to take back, a bright flush rising to his cheeks. "It's... for you."

Terra's disappointed look fell from his face in an instant, melting into an expression that Drift couldn't make out. He merely stared at the rose in Drift's hand, saying... nothing.

 _Uh-oh,_ Drift thought, the blood in his veins all but turning into ice as Terra stood there, not really reacting in any way for a long moment. After the stretch of incredibly awkward silence, Terra took the flower from Drift with a shaky hand, glancing up at him. Drift's face burned hotter when their eyes met, and he was surprised to see the pink tinge rise to Terra's own face.

"I... I don't know what to say," Terra admitted quietly, shaking his head and glancing down at the flower again. His fingers closed over the stem, carefully avoiding the sharp thorns, and he pulled the flower close to his chest. "Sorry, I'm just a little... shocked. Are you... asking me out?"

Drift nodded. "Yeah! I mean, if you want to? If you don't wanna, that's okay --"

"No!" Terra cried, his cheeks burning brighter when their eyes met again. "No, I... I would love to, umm, go out with you sometime. I was going to... ask you for your number the next time I saw you, actually. Which was today," he said. "I just... you said this was for someone special, I didn't think that was me!"

Relief washed over Drift, a surprised laugh making its way out of him. "Sorry. I wanted to surprise you?" He shrugged a shoulder, scratching the back of his neck. "I hope I didn't make you too upset or anything."

Terra shook his head vigorously. "Not at all! It just, um... yeah, it surprised me. I can't believe this is actually happening...?"

Drift nodded, smiling shyly up at Terra. "It's definitely happening. Are you free on Saturday?"

Terra thought it over for a moment, then nodded his head. "Saturday would be perfect, actually."

"Okay, great!" Drift replied with a grin. "Let me give you my number..."

Drift made his way behind the counter, making himself comfortable next to Terra. He grabbed one of the bright green sticky notes and a pen, taking a moment to jot down his name and phone number, finishing it off with a tiny little heart. The handwriting was a little shaky, but it was legible enough, he supposed.

"Here." He turned toward Terra, handing the sticky note over to him. Terra stared at the sticky note for a long moment before tucking it into his pants pocket. He still seemed pretty surprised by the whole thing, but the soft smile on his face made it clear that it wasn't a _bad_ kind of surprised at least.

Drift made a split-second decision then, standing on his tiptoes to give Terra a tiny little kiss, right on his cheek. Terra tensed a little, and Drift mentally slapped himself - that was probably way too forward, wasn't it? He'd actually managed to score a date with Terra, and then he went and screwed the whole thing up before it even started!

But, when he pulled away, Terra's eyes were half shut, his mouth was curled into an adorable little smile, and those cheeks were redder than Drift had ever seen before. Any regret Drift was feeling washed away then, and he grinned up at Terra before stepping away from him.

"Alright, umm, I actually gotta head back to work," Drift said. "Just call or text me when you can, okay?"

Terra watched him walk to the other side of the counter and toward the door, his smile melting into something softer. "Okay," he replied, raising a single hand to gently touch his cheek. The movement was slow, as though he were caught in a trance. "I'll, umm, talk to you later?"

"Perfect. I'll be waiting," Drift said, unable to hold back the quiet giggle at how adorable Terra was, all thanks to such a simple action. Who knew such a big guy was so easy to fluster?

He all but skipped back to work with a goofy grin of his own, which would probably be stuck on his face for the rest of the week, but he didn't care. For the first time in a while, things had gone his way, and he thought it was perfectly reasonable to be happy about it.

* * *

"Two o'clock... right?" Terra mumbled to himself. "I think it was two o'clock..."

He dug his phone out of his jacket pocket, re-reading the texts he'd exchanged with Drift that morning. Sure, he'd checked at least three times since he left home, but it wouldn't hurt to look again, right?

He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the meeting time was indeed two o'clock, and he glanced at the little clock in the corner of the screen. Still a good fifteen minutes to go...

Okay, maybe he'd gotten to the botanical garden a little early. And maybe getting there early had made his anxiety worse, as there was still no sign of Drift. He seemed pretty excited to meet today, so Terra figured he wouldn't be stood up, but knowing that didn't make the sense of unease in the pit of his stomach go away.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It did help to calm his racing heart a little bit, so he took a few more, hoping that he'd feel somewhat better by the time Drift showed up.

If Drift showed up.

And, just like that, his nervousness returned. Terra opened his eyes again, sighing deeply.

"Hey, Terra!" a familiar voice called, drawing Terra out of his thoughts and making his heartbeat quicken once again.

He turned to see none other than Drift walking toward him, much to his relief. All of his prior worries melted away, now replaced with entirely new ones - it had been so long since he'd gone on a proper date. Those had all been with strangers from dating apps, and...

They hadn't exactly gone well. 

Terra shoved his inner turmoil away, taking in the sight of Drift instead. Like Terra, he was dressed for the cooler weather, wearing a plain long-sleeved shirt and some jeans. It was the first time Terra had seen him wearing regular clothes, rather than his usual workout attire, and... well, he was still ridiculously attractive, of course.

He was grinning from ear to ear, those gorgeous blue eyes glittering in the sunlight as he gazed up at Terra.

"Hello," Terra greeted with a shaky smile of his own. "You look really nice."

Drift's cheeks heated up and he let out a surprised laugh. "Well, thank you, so do you!" he chirped.

"Thanks," Terra said, his own face flushing at the words. He turned toward the entrance to the garden, gesturing toward it with his hand. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Yeah, let's go! I'm really excited," Drift said with a grin.

"Me too!" Terra admitted as they headed toward the gate. "I haven't been here in years."

It didn't take long for them to pay the small entry fee, and then they were stepping inside and taking in their surroundings. It wasn't a huge garden - from what Terra remembered, it only took about an hour and a half to walk through, but he also remembered that it was quite a pleasant hour and a half. Luckily, he and Drift would get a chance to enjoy it all without fighting a huge crowd of people - it wasn't very busy, aside from a few families and a couple of people walking their dogs.

The weather had also decided to cooperate today, the bright blue sky and cool autumn breeze making for a perfect day to be outside. The sound of birds singing from all over the garden helped set an almost magical mood, as did the long, winding paths and little insects floating among the flower blooms. 

Terra glanced down at his date, frowning when he saw the way Drift's arms were crossed tightly over his chest. "You okay?" he asked.

Drift smiled up at him, nodding his head a couple of times. "Yeah. Just... didn't realize it was quite this chilly out," he admitted. "But once we get moving I'm sure it won't be so bad."

Terra hummed. "Well, you can borrow my jacket if you want?" he offered with a small smile, already moving to peel it off.

"Oh, no!" Drift said, holding his hands up and shaking his head. "Thank you, but I don't want you to be cold!"

Unfortunately for Drift, the denim jacket was off before he could even finish protesting. It was hard to miss the way Drift's eyes traced over him, seeming quite pleased with the sight of Terra in just his t-shirt.

"I'll be just fine. Here," Terra offered, holding it out to Drift with a knowing grin.

"Well... alright. Just don't let me forget to give it back," Drift agreed, taking it with a grateful smile. "Thank you!"

Terra's smile widened once Drift was all bundled up, looking nothing short of cozy. "No problem. It looks... cute on you," he said. It was one of Terra's favorite jackets, making it more or less a perfect fit with how much he'd worn it, but it practically swallowed Drift's smaller frame. 

Drift's cheeks flushed brightly, and he snorted as he bunched the sleeves up around his wrists. "I'm sure it looks silly on me, but thank you. It certainly feels much better..."

Before Terra could insist that he did look cute, Drift surprised him by reaching out and grabbing his hand.

"Anyway, c'mon! Let's get going!" Drift said, and it was his turn to grin at the blush that ran up Terra's cheeks.

"Alright, alright!" Terra laughed, squeezing Drift's hand. He allowed Drift to lead them down the winding pathway, toward the first of the features in the garden - a koi pond.

It was bigger than Terra remembered, the plants and trees around it much more established than they had been the last time he was here. Between the sound of the running water and the beautiful foliage, it was quite a peaceful place, even calming Terra's most persistent nerves.

Together, he and Drift approached the edge of the pond, peering into the depths of the water with interest. It only took a moment for the large fish to spot them, schooling together and bolting to the surface to beg for food. They all honed in on Drift as he leaned over for a closer look, much to Terra's amusement.

"I think they like you," Terra commented with a grin.

Drift laughed. "I think they like to eat," he corrected lightly, standing up to his full height once more. "But... they are kind of cute."

"They are," Terra agreed. He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, turning to watch a turtle right as it poked its head out of the water. "Hey, there's a turtle!" he said, pointing over at it.

"Oh! Wow, he's a big fella," Drift said with a laugh when he spotted it too. "Wow, and that dragonfly is so pretty!"

For the next few minutes, they each pointed out some of the creatures around them - frogs hidden among the floating plants, insects flitting from flower to flower, songbirds coming by for a drink. It was silly and fun, and seeing Drift's face light up with surprise and excitement was adorable, if Terra was honest.

They eventually made their way down the sidewalk again, hands still clasped tightly together. Most of the garden was able to be seen from the pathway, so they took their time to admire the trees, statues, and well-manicured flowerbeds around them. There were quite a few beautiful plants blooming despite autumn's rapid approach, and Drift was eager to ask about the more unique-looking flowers.

Unfortunately, Terra didn't know them all, but the way Drift continued to ask him about what he did know made Terra realize that it wasn't a problem. It seemed that Drift was just... happy to listen to him talk, no matter how much or how little was actually being said.

With the pleasant atmosphere and conversation, it wasn't too long until they reached the center of the garden. This area was a little more open, with a handful of tables next to a large, empty field, which would have been perfect for a picnic. Terra made a mental note of this for a potential future date with Drift, if things between them progressed any further.

"Hey," Drift said, turning toward Terra with a smile. "Is it okay if we sit down for a little bit?"

"Of course," Terra assured him. He was honestly getting a little thirsty, but had forgotten to bring any water with him. Luckily, there was a small shack selling food and beverages on one side of the pathway that caught his attention. "Do you mind if I grab something to drink first?"

"Not at all! I think I'll get something too," Drift said with a smile. "All this chatting is starting to do me in."

It only took a moment for them to get what they wanted, and then it was time to find a seat. They agreed that, because the ground wasn't muddy, it would be a nice place to rest for a few minutes.

They sat quietly, enjoying their drinks and each other's company for a moment, though it wasn't long before the silence was broken.

"Hey," Drift said with a little smile. "I'm having a great time."

Terra nodded. "I'm glad to hear that. I'm really enjoying this too," he agreed. "Thanks for inviting me out."

"Well, thank you for agreeing to come," Drift said, leaning a little into Terra's space and gently grasping his free hand. "Sure would have been a boring day otherwise."

Whatever response Terra had was caught in his throat once he met Drift's eyes, belatedly realizing how close he was. Close enough to get lost in that affectionate gaze, close enough to feel the warmth of his body as he leaned on Terra's arm...

And certainly close enough to kiss. It would be so easy - all Terra really needed to do was lean forward a few inches.

If the way Drift's eyes darted down to Terra's mouth was any indication, he'd had the same exact realization. His smile fell away, an adorable flush rising to his cheeks when their eyes met again.

Warm fingers trembled against Terra's, and he gave them a reassuring squeeze. He swallowed hard, heart pounding in his ears as he started to move - slowly, of course, in case he was misinterpreting the tension between them. As badly as he wanted this, he'd rather be embarrassed by a rejection than make Drift uncomfortable.

Drift didn't pull away though, much to his delight. Instead, he sucked in a quiet breath, mouth parting slightly and eyelids growing heavy as their faces moved closer, almost drawn to each other like a magnet. Terra could practically _taste_ him, they were so close.

And then the sound of other visitors heading down the sidewalk reached their ears. 

In an instant, Drift and Terra jerked away from each other, both blushing brightly at the reminder that they were out in public. Drift's eyes fell to his lap and he cleared his throat, taking a long drink of his beverage. Terra huffed out a quiet sigh, silently willing his frantic heartbeat to slow down a little.

He glanced over toward the small family that had unintentionally interrupted them. They settled at a table not too far away, enjoying their own day out if the delighted squeal of their toddler was anything to go by.

Drift offered him a shaky smile when their eyes met again, a bit of an awkward silence forming around them.

"So, umm," Drift began softly, clearly trying to find a way to move on from what had just happened.

"Seen any good movies lately?" Terra asked with a wobbly smile of his own.

Drift let out a relieved laugh, shrugging a shoulder. "It's actually been a while since I've gone out to see one in a theater," he admitted.

Terra raised a surprised brow at that. "Really? How long is a while, exactly?"

"Uhhh... probably about a year?" Drift replied with a wince. "I sometimes watch them with Roddy when they're on TV, but... yeah. I'm more into books."

This brought out a warm smile from Terra. "You know, I've been meaning to get back into reading. It just feels like it's... hard to concentrate on it sometimes," he admitted.

Drift snorted. "Funny you should mention that... half the time I find myself falling asleep whenever I'm trying to watch movies. Takes me an hour to pick something, and before I know it, I'm out like a light!"

Terra chuckled at that. "Well, I guess that means a movie date is out, huh?" he teased.

"Oh. I, well, umm," Drift replied, his cheeks flushing a little. "I would like... um, that is to say, I wouldn't mind going to see one. With you." He swallowed hard, shrugging a shoulder. "If you wanted to!"

"Yeah, I want to, that's... kind of why I brought it up," he replied with a grin.

Drift nodded stiffly. "Okay. Yeah, that makes sense."

Seeing Drift so flustered was just as funny as it was endearing. Terra's heart melted at the sight, and he couldn't fight back the warm smile that rose to his lips.

"You're so cute," Terra found himself saying before taking another sip of his drink. 

The flush on Drift's cheeks brightened at the words, just as Terra had hoped it would.

Drift huffed out a soft sigh, raising a single brow at him. "I, well... You're pretty good-looking yourself, big guy," he said.

The unexpected compliment and nickname had Terra blushing just as brightly, and it was all he could do to avoid choking on his mouthful of water.

"Thank you," he managed to say once he could speak, deciding to ignore the mischievous smirk Drift was sending his way.

"But, listen - I'm curious about what kinds of movies you like," Terra continued, wanting to move the conversation away from himself and learn more about Drift. "I don't want you falling asleep on our date, after all."

Drift barked out a surprised laugh at that. "Oh. Well, I'm sure there's something out that we'll both enjoy! Though... my back is kind of starting to hurt," he admitted with a wince. "Do you mind if we stand up?"

"Yeah, sure. This was nice, but I kind of wish we'd picked a park bench," Terra agreed with a light laugh.

"At least we know for next time," Drift said, rising to his feet. He offered Terra a hand, helping him stand up with relative ease. Their conversation carried on once they were both walking again, effectively burying the awkwardness from their near-kiss a few minutes ago.

As they headed down the sidewalk, Terra learned that he and Drift had a pretty similar taste in films. They were both pretty okay with most genres, but neither of them cared for scary or gory films. Drift did seem to be more interested in period pieces and nonfiction films than Terra was, but overall didn't seem too picky and could apparently "be convinced to watch almost anything", which was no surprise since Drift was so easygoing.

"Well, in that case, it shouldn't be too hard to find something for us to watch together. Just the other day I saw a commercial for one that looked good," he said, with a smile. Terra's steps and words came to a screeching halt when he glanced over at Drift, who had been listening with wide-eyed interest. He stopped next to Terra, brows pinching with confusion, seeming completely oblivious to what had grabbed Terra's attention in such a way.

"Don't move... there's a butterfly on your head," Terra explained with a grin. He released Drift's hand so that he could dig his phone out of his pocket. "Can I take a picture?"

"Oh!" Drift's eyes widened and he obediently held still. "Yes, please do, I want to see it!" he whispered, as though his voice might scare the little bug away.

Terra did as he was asked, his smile widening when he saw Drift's fingers drumming against his legs. He was clearly trying very hard to hold still, but Terra could tell it was a real challenge for him not to get too excited.

It was adorable.

Luckily, Terra managed to get a few pictures before the butterfly flew off, and Drift was all too eager to see them. He gasped quietly as he gazed at Terra's phone, a wide smile breaking across his handsome face.

"I've never seen one like this before. It's beautiful!" he said before handing the device back to Terra. "Thank you, for... pointing it out, and taking a picture."

"No problem." Terra shrugged a shoulder, smiling down at the picture for a moment before stuffing his phone back into his pocket. They continued onward, though their steps had slowed considerably. "It was... cute. I thought you were cute, anyway."

Drift blushed, reaching up to tuck some loose strands of hair behind his ear. "Well, thank you. You're quite the sweet talker, aren't you?"

"I can't help it. Now that I have the chance to tell you how attractive I think you are, I just can't... stop," Terra admitted, his own cheeks flushing a bit. "Though, if it's making you uncomfortable --"

"No, no! It's okay, I just..." Drift sighed, looking almost bashfully over at Terra. "I'm not... used to it?"

Terra tilted his head, shooting Drift a surprised look. "What, compliments?" he asked incredulously. He was sure that someone like Drift was complimented all the time, either for his good looks or his personality.

Drift shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah. Genuine ones. From... guys," he clarified, his lips curling into a smirk. "Especially from a guy that's as attractive as you are - this is a first for me."

Terra's own cheeks heated up at the words, and he quickly looked away. "Well, I, umm," he replied intelligently. "Thank you. You deserve to hear them."

After a moment, Terra felt Drift move a little closer to his side, the light touch making his heart all but leap into his throat in surprise. He glanced down to see Drift smiling warmly at him, and it only took a moment for him to get lost in those gorgeous blue eyes. Any remaining confidence Terra had leaked out of him like a deflating balloon, and he found he could do little more than blink down at his date.

"Clearly you're not used to them either," Drift said with a knowing grin.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Terra grumbled.

Luckily, Drift let it drop for now, laughing softly before leaning his head gently on Terra's shoulder. Their conversation picked up on a light note once again, each of them loosely outlining their plans for the rest of the weekend and on through the upcoming week.

Admittedly, it was a little difficult at first for Terra to keep up with the conversation with Drift this close. He was just so warm, and smelled so nice, and his fingers were terribly distracting as they held on to Terra's upper arm, tracing little random shapes into his skin. The touch was so light, so casual, and it still made Terra's heart pound in his chest. He was certain that Drift could hear or feel it, what with how close he was standing. But, if he did notice he was at least kind enough to not say anything, doing his part to keep the discussion between them alive and comfortable, and Terra tried his best to do the same.

It wasn't much longer until Terra spotted the entrance to the garden, the end of their date drawing closer with each step. Drift sighed softly at his side, leaning away from his shoulder so they could hold hands once more, and it was hard for Terra not to frown at the loss of warmth.

Their steps slowed to a halt once they were outside of the garden again, allowing them just a few more minutes to talk before they parted ways. Drift turned toward him, reaching out to grasp his free hand.

"Well, thank you again for coming out with me," Drift said with a bright grin. "I really enjoyed spending time with you!"

"Thank you. I had a great time too, and, umm," Terra said, smiling back at him, though his own was a little more wobbly than he would have liked. "I... wouldn't mind doing it again sometime, if you're still interested."

With a soft laugh, Drift nodded his head a few times. "Of course, I'd love to!" he chirped, squeezing Terra's hands reassuringly. "How about..."

Drift glanced away then, drawing his bottom lip between his teeth and thinking for a moment. Terra's eyes tracked the movement with ease, and he became so enraptured by the sight that he'd nearly forgotten what Drift was even talking about when he spoke up again.

"Friday? Would Friday night be okay?" Drift asked, a light flush rising to his cheeks when he noticed where Terra's gaze had landed.

"Sure," Terra agreed. He was pretty sure his schedule would be open, and if not, it would be easy enough to change their plans. "We can catch a movie and get some dinner or something."

Drift beamed up at him, the sight making Terra's heart flutter in his chest again. "That sounds perfect!"

Terra knew he should probably let go of Drift's hands now and step back a little bit, allowing them both to make their way home. The date was over, and they'd made tentative plans for next weekend. Terra had a very busy afternoon ahead of him, and Drift seemed to to have plenty of things to take care of once he headed home too.

But Terra's feet felt rooted in place, even though he knew it was time to say goodbye. There was just one more thing, though he knew it was probably best to leave it alone...

"Umm, before you go," Terra said, the words slipping out of his mouth before he could really put any thought to what he was doing. His eyes darted all over Drift's face, and his throat closed up before he could ask for the kiss that he so badly wanted.

That would probably be pushing his luck. It was only their first date after all.

Drift's eyes flicked down to Terra's mouth for a brief moment, seemingly getting the idea of what Terra was after, but he didn't pull away. He actually stepped closer, releasing Terra's hands to brace against his chest instead. 

"Yes?" he asked quietly, smiling sweetly at the blush that rose to Terra's cheeks.

Terra opened and closed his mouth a few times, his throat suddenly feeling very dry. He swallowed hard, heart thumping erratically in his chest.

It was now or never.

"May I, umm..." his hand moved to cautiously cradle Drift's warming face, his words escaping him when he needed them most.

Drift answered the unfinished question by leaning up on his tiptoes, bringing their lips together.

Terra's eyes slipped shut, his heart fluttering in elation at the tender touch. It took all of his strength to remain standing, his knees practically turning to mush just at how _soft_ Drift's mouth was against his. A quiet sound bubbled out of his chest before he could stop it - or maybe that was Drift. He wasn't sure who was doing what, his mind so hopelessly tangled up at the moment.

The kiss was brief and gentle, but still managed to steal Terra's breath, leaving his head spinning even after Drift pulled away. When their eyes met, Drift's face was a gorgeous shade of pink, his mouth curled in a delighted grin that matched Terra's own. He huffed out a light laugh, reluctantly stepping out of Terra's space and pulling away for now. 

"See you on Friday," Terra said, unable to fight the way his heart soared in excitement at the words. 

Drift nodded, his own smile widening. "See you," he agreed, eyes wandering over Terra one last time before turning away. 

As hard as it was to say goodbye, Terra was glad that he at least had the memory of that sweet little kiss to keep him company on his trip back home. It wasn't his first, of course, but it was certainly one of the more memorable ones he'd had - he only could only hope that Drift enjoyed it just as much.

-

The wide, lovestruck grin remained on Drift's face long after he and Terra said goodbye. He could practically feel people staring at him the whole way home, but he honestly didn't care.

Right now, he was on cloud nine.

The date was wonderful. They had enough in common to keep things interesting, but not so much that it felt like Terra was only trying to impress him. Terra was just as kind and sweet and easy to fluster as he seemed to be at work, much to Drift's relief - though Drift was happy to see him open up a little bit, too. 

And, on top of all that, he was so fun to kiss.

Drift all but collapsed on his couch once he reached it, his mind wandering back to that perfect little ending to their date. Terra apparently wanted it just as badly as Drift did, but was bold enough to try and ask for it first - only to turn into a big, flustered mess before he could even get the words out.

Before he could get too wrapped up in how amazing Terra's mouth felt against his, his phone chirped a few times in his pocket: likely messages from Rodimus asking how the date had gone.

He reached down to pull the device out of his pocket, frowning when his fingers brushed the bottom edge of the denim jacket he was still wearing.

"Aw, crap," he muttered, the smile finally falling from his face. He knew he'd forget to give it back! He must have kissed the sense right out of Terra, since he seemed to have forgotten about it too.

He quickly sat up and shrugged it off of his shoulders, suddenly feeling guilty for wearing it. He then fished his phone out, ignoring Rodimus' nosy texts for now so he could let Terra know he still had his jacket.

He sighed deeply, thumbing the edge of the sleeve as he awaited Terra's reply. Perhaps he could swing by the flower shop on Monday morning to return it? Terra said he'd be there to open, so Drift could totally make it in time for his own shift--

His phone chirped again, a bright flush rushing to his cheeks when he read the messages from Terra.

_no prob. hang on to it till friday_  
_it looks better on you ;)_

The goofy smile made its way onto Drift's face again, and he relaxed back into the couch. He slowly pulled the jacket over his chest, wrapping his arms around it and holding it close. Perhaps it would be alright for him to wear it around the apartment until Friday...?

Before he could feel embarrassed about doing such a silly thing, his phone alerted him to a few more texts from Rodimus, most of them involving capital letters and various emojis. He sighed, finally dialing his best friend's number, but his exasperation was short-lived - he was all too eager to share all the juicy details of the best date he'd had in years.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! ❤️


End file.
